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Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Not so impossible broccoli pie...

Before I really got into cooking and baking a few years ago, our dinners were whatever was easiest and didn't take a lot of work. While I don't use it much anymore, Bisquick was a staple - all from one little mix you could get biscuits, fluffy pancakes or even whip up those savory "impossibly easy" pies!

This Broccoli and Cream Cheese Impossible Pie that I made for tonight's dinner was a throwback to that time, except the bisquick is left behind as a homemade version stands in its place.Chopped sweet red bell peppers and onions start off the base flavors in this savory pie - besides the obligatory salt and pepper for seasoning, chopped fresh dill is sprinkled in with the vegetables. If you don't have access to fresh, you could replace it with a teaspoon of dried - either one would work well in this as you are looking for that unique essence it has. Bite-sized pieces of broccoli florets are added and the mixture is spooned into a large pie pan.

Next came small dollops of herbed cream cheese that were dropped all over the broccoli mixture - we used a chive and onion flavored cheese, but use whichever flavor sounds good to you. An uncomplicated mixture of flour, baking powder and a dash of salt, along with a few cubes of cold butter worked in, is the Bisquick-esque replacement for this dish. Milk and a few eggs are added and the viscous mixture is poured in.

As the pie baked, that biscuit topping wiggled its way down through the cream cheese and vegetables to form a crust-like bottom that sealed everything together in a tidy package. The biscuit was moist and tender, yet sturdy - while those pockets of cheese firmed up slightly, they were still quite luscious and smooth. Jeff commented that it was reminiscent of a quiche, just not nearly as egg-y. We don't usually have savory cream cheese on hand, but you'll always find those wedges of Laughing Cow cheese in our fridge - I wonder if I plunked them into a bowl and whipped them for a minute to use instead since we typically have everything else on hand to make this... their French onion or garlic and herb might be quite tasty in this!